Yasashii Ame
by Tsubasa Hane
Summary: Abductions are being reported throughout the colonies, with only the Federation as their connection. When Midii goes missing as well, can Trowa save her in time?
1. Prologue & Part I

This is a sequel to my previous 3x12 fanfic, "Why I Love The Rain."  I got enough encouragement from you, the reviewer, to continue with the idea.  There will be four sections total:  Prologue & Chapter 1, and then Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 in the second installment.

For those of you who don't know, "Yasashii Ame" translates to "Gentle Rain" in Japanese. It is also Yagami Hikari's 02 Digimon Theme song…a very beautiful song, I might add, and one of my favorites. 

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~~Prologue~~

.

As the rain continued to beat down upon the pavement, 17-year-old Midii Une absent-mindedly made her way through the empty streets. One hand desperately held on to the only thing keeping her dry: her umbrella, while the other clutched a small object around her neck. The young ex-spy was so caught up in her thoughts; she never noticed the same black car passing her by on the street for the third time that night. Her mind was elsewhere at that point.

Two years. 

It had been two years since that god-forsaken war had taken the only family she had left away from her. Two years when "Trowa" had abandoned her to travel to earth in one of those Gundanium Mobile Suits. Two years when her life was to drastically change, maybe forever.

The petite blonde found herself in the local park. Strange, she hadn't remembered walking here…but then again, she had no original destination to begin with. Glancing around, she found the park to be void of any other sign of life. It was quiet and peaceful, save for Mother Nature's intrusion. Midii found a small park bench not too soaked by the rainfall and sat down. 

Putting the umbrella down, she allowed the gentle rain to soak her. Tiny droplets of water trickled down her face, mixing with the few tears already beginning to fall. A light shower plastered her soft, golden hair to her face, while her clothes clung to her body from the moisture. Through and through, she was completely drenched; yet found the experience more of a pleasantry than an annoyance. 

Rain storms like this always helped her remember…each memory playing like a movie in her mind of the young girl's past. Slowly, Midii closed her eyes and allowed the rain to continue pouring down upon her, as if it alone would wash away all her sorrows, drown her misery, and cleanse her soul.

Concentrating so hard on the silence, the blonde-haired girl was surprised to sense another figure walk right up to her and sit down. Her instincts kicking in, she quickly pulled back in alarm, only to relax when familiarity took over, allowing the girl to recognize the person before her.

"Valerie?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Hello again, Midii." Her chestnut-brown hair was much shorter now, and had a few streaks of gray in it, but there was no mistaking those deep-blue eyes and gentle voice. The middle-aged woman smiled at the young girl from underneath her dark-red umbrella.

Allowing a smile to spread across her face for the first time in nearly two years, Midii quickly engulfed her foster-mother in a tight embrace. Valerie returned the gesture, calming down the young girl as she continued to gently sob, even through her smile. She of course didn't mind the fact that Midii was wet to begin with, getting her all wet in the process, even with the umbrella.

"I can't believe it's you!" Midii exclaimed as the two pulled apart, wiping the tears from her eyes as she spoke, "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Well, we have been busy, my dear; Charlie and I moved to the colonies soon after the war ended, and came back to Earth for a vacation." The older woman explained. 

The two proceeded with an in-depth conversation about the last four or five years, ever since they had gone their separate ways. Valerie told the younger girl about her husband's new business, even though she was desperately trying to talk him into retirement, as Midii told her all about her own latest job position and the apartment she was staying in. All the while, laughter and smiles filled in the spaces between talk until Valerie brought up a question.

"Whatever happened to Nanashi, dear? You two were always inseparable, whether it be play, work…or even going for walks in the rain like…this..." At the mention of his name, Midii had immediately went silent, a solemn look on her face. Misunderstanding, Valerie took her silence as a symbol for the worst. "Oh, my…don't tell me that he…" she began, before Midii cut her off.

"No! At least, I don't believe so…." Knowing that she would probably have to tell the older woman sooner or later, Midii went into detail about that past few years of her life, about the Gundam, Operation Meteor, and the last time she saw him. All the while, she held tight to the object around her neck. Valerie noticed this, and motioned towards it.

"What a lovely cross." She commented as Midii allowed her to examine the object she held so dear: a small, golden cross with emerald outline. With a far-off look in her eye, and a smile tugging at her lips, Midii explained just how she came to receive it

.

_Telling her to close her eyes, he gently placed a small, velvet box in her hands. She gasped at the sight of what was inside. _

_It was a small, golden cross, similar in almost every way to the one she had given Nanashi five years ago, only this one was much more beautiful. The label inside read '18 karats', and the cross was outlined with an emerald border…the same emerald shade of his eyes. _

_"Oh…Nanashi…" she breathed as he took the necklace out, pushed her hair back gently, and tied it around her neck. _

_Nanashi smiled at her shocked expression, something he did only for her. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you like it." _

_"No…I love it." She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as he held onto her waist, tears streaming down her cheeks from both joy and sorrow. "I'm going to miss you, Nanashi." _

_"I'll miss you, too, Little-Middle-Midii." He whispered, using the nickname he had long ago given her. Normally, she absolutely hated being called that, but tonight, the name never sounded so wonderful. "But remember; as long as you wear that cross, I'll always be with you, protecting you." _

_She looked up at him. "I'll never take it off."_

.

Valerie smiled as she watched her foster-daughter remember one of her most precious moments in time. The expression on her face confirmed something the older woman had suspected for so long, but was never quite sure of until now. Of course, she had always known the two children to be extremely close, and knew they loved one another, but…

"You're _in_ love with him, aren't you Midii?" she questioned, though it came out more as a statement. Though a tinge of pink was visible on her cheeks, Midii nodded her head in response.

"Yes.  I am." Was all she could say. Looking up, she found a motherly grin on the brown-haired woman's face.

"Then I'm sure you'll see him again someday, when you least expect it." Came the reply as she gently brushed a few wet strands off the younger girl's face that were obstructing her vision. As she did so, Valerie snuck a glance at her watch, "Oh, my…I didn't realize the time. I'd better be going now." Standing up, she gave her 'daughter' a quick hug, and kiss on the head before turning to leave.

"Goodbye, dear. I hope to see you again soon!"

"Bye, Valerie." Watching the older woman disappear into the night, Midii felt a sudden wave of relief flow over her. She always looked up to Valerie as a mother, seeing as she never had on of her own, and trusted whatever she said. It was then the blonde-haired girl noticed the falling rain had ceased. Figuring it was time to go home, she grabbed her umbrella and headed towards the entrance of the park. 

Just as she reached the metal gates, a feeling of uneasiness washed over her. Her spy-instincts were beginning to kick in, now that her mind was clear and focused. Surveying her surroundings, Midii just blamed it on the chilling air that was now settling in. After all, who would be after her? She carried no money with her, and it's not like she had a rich family…or any family, for that matter. 

Shrugging that little voice in the back of her head away, she opened the gate and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

The young girl was no more than ten feet away from the park entrance when something struck her from behind, knocking her to the ground. Clasping desperately to her necklace for comfort, Midii struggled to keep awake, but in vain. The pain was blurring her vision with every second; the blow had been hard. Soon, darkness overclouded her sight as she slipped into the world of unconsciousness.

The last thing she heard before passing out was a rough, male voice mutter, "So, Agent Une…alive all these years after all…."

And then everything went black.

.

~~Part 1~~

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"Staring out into the rain again, eh Trowa?" a voice came from the doorway of the work office. Taking his eyes away from the glass window, the young man, just recently 18, came face-to-face with his long-time best friend and host for the evening, Quatre Winner.

"It helps me remember." He replied in his usual calm voice before looking back outside. A crash of thunder struck as a bolt of lightning illuminated the dimly lit room, bringing out the dark shadows of every corner. 

Throughout the war, the two young boys had quickly become good friends. Much of this was due to Quatre's gentle-hearted personality; much of it was the fact that they, in a way, needed each other. Quatre was the reliable friend Trowa had come to depend on, much as Midii had been in the past. In fact, Quatre reminded him a lot of Midii…perhaps that was one reason why he had put his trust into the slightly-younger boy. 

On the other side, Quatre looked up to the quiet, brown-haired boy much as an older brother (something he never had…yet probably may have wished for, what with a childhood having 29 sisters, and all). Yet it was times like these that Quatre was the one to play the 'older' of the two, comforting his friend while he faced the many demons, shadows, and figures of his past. 

Leaning against the doorframe of the room, sipping his tea, the younger boy remained silent for a minute or two before attempting to get Trowa to open up. "What is it exactly you're trying to remember?"

"Midii." The answer came quickly, but not sharply. Quatre was familiar with the name, as he had heard Trowa mutter it many times before, but knew little else about the young girl from Trowa's past.

"Anything in particular about her?" His amnesia attack during the war had stripped away many reminiscences of his past, and although most of his memory had returned long ago, certain aspects were still fuzzy, even to that very day.

Trowa remained silent for many moments, before turning his gaze away from the window once more. Regaining his composure, he chose to change the subject, "Tell me more about this Federation up-rise."

Sighing in defeat, Quatre finally entered the room and rook a seat directly across from his quiet comrade. Placing his teacup in a dish on the coffee table, he turned on his desk light and pulled out a file from the drawer.

"Sally and Wufei are looking into it as we speak. Apparently, members of the Federation who had escaped into hiding are out looking for 'traitors'…those who turned their backs on the Federation while the war was going on, and perhaps a few other targets. Mostly for revenge purposes, I guess. Cases of disappearances have been turning up around the colonies for the past three weeks or so."

"Casualties?"

"None to knowledge; kidnappings and nothing more. No bodies or evidence of anything other than abductions have been listed. Though that's not to say we actually know what is happening to these people once they've gone missi-" the telephone ringing interrupted the blonde youth mid-sentence.

Sitting back in his chair for a moment, Trowa went deep into thought. Once again, his failed memory nagged at him. He faintly recalled something about the Federation when he was younger…but _what_? 

Quatre, on the other hand, was currently on the phone speaking about the latest report in the disappearances. With an urgent look in his eyes, the young blonde boy jotted down the important details, thanked his comrade, and hung up. Then, he turned back to Trowa with the information.

"That was Wufei on the line. Apparently, a woman around age 50 years reported a kidnapping in Desa Park tonight—about a hundred miles from here. She was able to get a clear identification on the car, and a rough description of the kidnappers, though she was a bit hysterical when she contacted them." He explained to his older friend. 

"Is it Federation-related?" 

"Not sure. Wufei wants us, along with Heero and Duo, to meet the woman at headquarters so we can speak with her personally. He and Sally are too busy with patrolling, otherwise they'd join us." 

Not soon after the Marimea incident had four of the five Gundam Pilots joined up with the Preventers unit, each for his own reasons. Quatre was too often caught up with business to follow suit, but rarely did he miss out on an important mission such as the one at hand.

Trowa thought about this for a moment. Did this have anything to do with the recent Federation-related abductions, or was it a regular kidnapping? 

"Did the person give her name?"

Quickly, the younger boy flipped through his notes before replying, "Yes…her name is Valerie Demannor"

"…come again?" Trowa asked, a hint of shock in his voice.

"Valerie Demannor. Do you know her, Trowa?" but before Quatre could even finish his sentence, Trowa had already grabbed his coat and was heading out the door, his younger comrade right behind him. 

That nagging voice in the back of his head, where all his lost memories were hiding, was still bothering him about something. Some piece of information he knew, but had forgotten. 

He knew it had something to do with the Federation. And whatever it was, it wasn't good.

.

Midii awoke, only to find herself in a dimly-lit room, her hands tied behind her back with thick rope. Her clothes damply stuck to her skin from being out in the rain as she had, making them very uncomfortable. Not to mention her outfit consisted of an emerald-green, spaghetti-strapped tank top shirt coming up to just above her waist, denim capris, and a light, denim jacket. 

Despite the darkness, the young girl couldn't help but squint in pain as she tried to focus her vision clearly. Her head throbbed from the blow she had received and she shook from the chill that came with her wet clothing… not to mention her stomach ached from hunger—she hadn't eaten anything since lunch that day.

The sound of a door opening brought her attention directly in front of her. Attempting to stand up, Midii found herself roughly pushed back down to the ground.

"No one asked you to stand, _Agent_ Une." A harsh voice spoke up, no doubt from one of the two men in front of her. He made sure to accent the word 'Agent' as if it were an insult.

"Who are you?" She asked, both scared and furious at the same time.

"Who are we?" the second person replied, harshness also in his voice, "Why, I'm surprised you've forgotten us already, my dear Ms. Une…after all, it was I who trained you in the first place."

Thinking back, the young girl gasped when recognition came to her. "Cane?!?"

"Ahh…so you remembered my name after all, you little traitor." The man identified as Cane spat out. 

Midii remembered him well; he had been a close friend of her older brother while the war went on. When Derek (her brother) and her mother were killed in a surprise attack, and her father became ill, it was Cane who had taken Midii and her two younger brothers in. Unbeknownst to them at the time, he was really an agent working for the Federation. 

When they found out the poor family's predicament, Cane, 15 at the time, was ordered to train Midii into becoming a spy for them…in return for care of her family. He was pleased at the turn of events, and the little girl had no other choice but to cooperate.

"How could I forget? You kidnapped me and my brothers, and ruined my life." She spoke in a cold, venomous tone as she recalled her experience with the man before her, now in his twenties. 

In response, he backhanded the girl so hard she flew into the wall to the left of her. Blood began to trickle from where a ring on his finger had apparently caught her skin, while her head pounded furiously from the hard blow.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk…no appreciation whatsoever. You had better watch yourself and your tone, Midii," he spoke as if he were doing nothing more than friendly teasing her, "you're on thin ice with the Federation already. Wouldn't want them to order your execution for pushing them overboard, now would we?"

"What do you want from me?!?" she screamed out, more furious than anything else at this point as her head continued to throb. 

"It's very simple." The other man spoke up, a slightly deeper, yet just-as-harsh voice as Cane, "the Federation doesn't appreciate our spies betraying us. You're lucky; considering the fact you were only ten at the time, they've decided to go easy on you." This was said in a taunting manner, as if it was nothing more than a joke to them.

At this point, Midii knew that they were talking about. The day of the attack on the mercenaries…the confrontal towards Nanashi about her betrayal…the gunshots….

"But-" she began, before the second man cut her off.

"But how did we know you were still alive?" he finished her sentence for her. Cane took over by answering her question.

"Easy. At first, we didn't. Just as you assumed, once the gunshots were heard and the transmission ended, we figured that boy must have killed you. End of story, and you. But then a few weeks ago, one of our _loyal_," he made sure to put an emphasis on the word 'loyal', "members spotted a young girl walking home one night in the rain who looked very similar to you. Imagine our surprise. We wanted to be sure, so we've been following you around, making sure we had the right person. As soon as we had a positive ID, we waited until you were alone before putting our plan into action."

Midii was left speechless at this point. She bowed her head in defeat towards the two men, not wanting either of them to see the tears threatening to overflow. The young girl was frustrated, confused, and bewildered at the same time…to say nothing of the fact that her head, cheek, and stomach ached horribly, or that she was beginning to shiver from her wet attire.

"You and the other traitors like you will be severely punished for your abandoning the Federation. Although," he continued in a slightly lighter, yet still cold, tone as he walked over to where the girl was sitting up sideways against the wall, "I have much influence in the Federation, and if you were to get on my good side, let's just say I might convince them to alter their judgment on you." As he said this, he brushed a strand of her wet hair by her face, lightly twirling it around his finger at the same time. 

Midii jerked her head away, in both fright and disgust.

"Fine. Have it your way, my dear Midii…" The man stood up, glaring down upon the girl at his feet. 

Over time, she had definitely grown from the frail ten-year-old he had trained some seven, eight years prior to the rather attractive young woman she was now. Her clothing, damp as it was, clung to her body tightly, revealing a very… _mature_ figure. Throwing in one last insult, Cane heartlessly kicked her to the ground once again, before turning back to his comrade.

Not wanting anything more than for the men to leave her alone at the moment, she allowed them to smugly grin in triumph over her for a moment or two before they finally exited, slamming shut and locking the metal door behind them. 

Only then did Midii allow herself to cry

_Nanashi_, she thought through her tears, _where are you? I need you! Why did you have to leave me?_

The young 17-year-old cried herself to sleep that night, shivering from lack of warmth, her thoughts filled with the brown-haired, emerald-eyed boy she missed so dearly, and wanted to see again. Midii was so terrified and exhausted, she failed to notice the fact that her necklace, the one he had given her over two years ago, was gone.

.

"Ms. Demannor?"

The middle-aged woman looked towards the voice, and came face-to-face with a young man around 17 years old with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a comforting smile. At the sight of him, the woman relaxed slightly. She had seen the other two guys who had worked here: one of them appeared so cold it frightened her, while the other was a bit too…well…perky-yet-menacing would be a good way to describe him. This young man, however, appeared much more pleasant to speak with.

"Y-yes…that's my name, but you may call me Valerie"

"Hello, Valerie. My name is Quatre Winner. I'm here to talk to you about the kidnapping you witnessed. What can you tell me?" he spoke up as he took a seat directly across from the woman.

They were sitting in one of the Preventers' interrogation rooms, though the lights were turned up, and the setting a bit more pleasant than usual. It had been decided that Quatre would be the one to question the woman, being described as the best 'people-person', while the other three looked on from behind the one-way mirror.

Valerie, like Wufei had mentioned, appeared a bit frantic as she did her best to explain what had happened. "W-well…I had just walked off after meeting up with her at the park and talking for a little while. It had been so long since I last saw the dear, and it was nice meeting up with her again. But then I realized that I had forgotten something, and went back looking for her. I called her name, but I guess she didn't hear me because she walked right out of the park. Just as I reached the front gate to the park, I saw two men attack her! She wasn't even ten feet away! The poor dear was struck on the head hard, and went down unconscious!" tears rimmed the woman's eyes as she recalled what had happened. 

In the other room, Duo was taking down the information while Heero and Trowa listened intently. Neither Duo nor Heero noticed the look in Trowa's eyes: one of recollection.

Giving her a tissue, Quatre gently asked if she would describe the men she had seen. 

"Let me see… One of them was very tall, over six feet, and had pale skin, red hair and freckles. The other man was slightly shorter, and looked much younger…around his early twenties…with dark-brown hair and lightly-tanned skin. They both wore all black and had on sunglasses. The dark-haired man was the one to hit her. Oh, I hope she's all right!" 

"Don't worry; I'm sure she's fine." Quatre did his best to calm the frantic woman down. A few more minutes into the questioning, and Valerie was able to give them all the information she possible could. Well, that is, except for one final question.

"Can you tell me the name of the girl kidnapped?" Valerie looked up in surprise; until now, she hadn't even realized she had yet to give the name. The woman had been so nervous, even in the young man's presence.

"Midii's her name. Midii Une." At the sound of the name, Quatre's eyes went wide. In the other room, Trowa's did as well.

"D-Did you say 'Midii Une'?" The blonde-haired man asked, quite surprised. In response, Valerie looked at him a bit strangely.

"Yes. Do you know Midii?"

Regaining his composure, Quatre responded, "No, but I know someone who might…. Will you give me a moment?" Getting a nod from the woman, he proceeded to get up and walk into the adjourning room in search of Trowa.

Meanwhile, in the next room, the brown-haired man visibly flinched in surprise when he heard Midii's name spoken. Both Duo and Heero noticed this, and looked on at their comrade with curiosity.

"Something wrong, Trowa?" Heero spoke up, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, Barton, what gives?" a very-curious Duo added in. Trowa didn't respond; his eyes were focused directly ahead of him as he stared into oblivion, deep in thought.

_Midii?!? But why would the Federation be after her? What does she have to do with…_

.

_Not bothering to get up or even turn to face her, his voice broke the deafening silence surrounding the pair._

_"How much did you get?"_

_Though his life of a trained soldier had left the young boy all but void of emotions, a clear trace of hatred could be detected from that one simple question. Midii shivered slightly, not from the air around them, but from the coldness of his tone. She stood her ground, however, not willing to let him see her fear._

_This time, he turned to look her straight in the eye as he spoke. "Well?"_

_"Enough so that my three brothers and sick father will be able to eat for a while…" she replied, trying desperately not to let her voice break. Her long, blonde hair fell in her face as her deep hazel-gray eyes looked directly into his. The young girl's knees buckled under her as Nanashi stood up and walked right up to her. His gaze diverted from hers as they rested upon the object hanging by a chain from her neck._

_"That device around your neck is a transmitter, isn't it?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Before Midii could even reply, he continued, "The Federation could hear every move we made."_

.

_…the Federation_. 

Trowa's head snapped up at once as his memory played the tell-tale scene in his head. That's what had been nagging him this whole time; he remembered! Midii had been a spy for the Federation long ago, but abandoned…them…and…hid….

Without a word, Trowa stood up and stormed out of the room in a sea of confusion, much to the bewilderment of Heero and Duo, who had been watching the man with curiosity the entire time.

Just as the two young men watched their comrade walk out, Quatre walked in through the opposite door.

"Hey, Trowa…" he began, before noticing that Trowa wasn't there. Giving a questioning look to the other two, Duo responded by jerking a thumb towards the exit.

"Just missed him; he stormed outta here in quite a hurry at the mention of the girl's name. If you ask me, that guy couldn't get any weirder."

"No one asked you." Heero stated, before turning to Quatre, "Do you know what's wrong?"

Looking out where Trowa had left, the blonde boy shoot his head, "No, but I'm going to find out." And he headed out in search of his friend.

"You know, this setting seems just the tiniest bit familiar." Duo spoke up, indirectly speaking to Heero, "When a certain someone hastily ran out of the room at the mention of a particular female being kidnapped…." and he gave the Perfect Soldier a knowing smirk, being greeted with a glare in return. Though he wasn't sure, Duo could almost _swear_ he saw a very faint tint of pink appear in the young man's cheeks. 

Maybe it was just the room's lighting?

Walking around for a time, Trowa desperately tried searching for a vacant room. He needed to clear his head. Finally, he found a small waiting room with absolutely no one in it, walked in, and sat down. Replaying the last few moments in his mind, the young man contemplated over what exactly was happening. 

_Midii…she's an ex-spy…that's right…and… now the Federation's after her, no, caught her. _His mind reasoned. _What am I supposed to do? I don't…I don't know…. I thought she'd be safe if I left her on the colony, but now…_

The young man was so deep in thought, he never heard the sound of a certain blonde coming into the room after him.

"Trowa?" at the sound of the voice, Trowa's head shot up in surprise only to meet eyes with Quatre's. Recognizing his companion, the brown-haired boy resorted back to his thoughts, all but ignoring the boy in the doorway.

"Trowa, you have to talk to me." Quatre spoke up again, a stern yet kind evident in his voice, "As much as I know you'd rather keep quiet, I need to know." 

The young man lifted his head up to look at him once more. Quatre was shocked to find his comrade's normally emotionless expression now one of worry, confusion, and…something else.

"Why would be the Federation be after Midii?" he tried once more. This time, his efforts were rewarded.

"She was a spy." Trowa spoke up, just barely above a whisper. Surprised, Quatre blinked at the statement.

"A spy?"

Sighing lightly, Trowa nodded, and began his tale. "For…for the Federation. Eight years ago, when we were just ten, she worked for the Federation, unwillingly, as an undercover spy. That's…how we met…." And for the first time in his life, Trowa began to speak about his past. Listening intently, Quatre walked over and pulled up a chair directly across from the slightly older boy. 

Trowa told him everything. The mercenaries…the cross…the gunshots…everything that led up to the time he first stepped foot into the Gundam, only because there was no need to continue the story at that point. All the meanwhile, Quatre was left speechless.

"…and now, the Federation has her." He finished Trowa's story with the obvious fact. Wordlessly, Trowa nodded. He, himself, was still pretty much in shock at the whole situation. It hadn't completely registered in his mind yet; to be honest, he didn't want it to.

Quatre watched his friend with a bit of interest in the next few moments. He saw the rare emotions flickering across the older boy's face. Being somewhat tuned-in to other people's hearts, the blonde boy easily recognized the expression for what they were. He couldn't help letting a tiny smile appear on his face as he recalled seeing the look Trowa's eyes held now once before.

It was the same look Heero had had during the Eve Wars, when he had first discovered that Relina was being held on Libra.

.

Cold. So very, very cold. 

Midii awoke in a shivering frenzy the next morning…or was it morning? The girl had lost all track of time since the first time she had awoken in her new room. It was dark in her little prison, with no windows aside from the tiny view-hold located on the door. And she had been given no blankets, no pillows despite the stone-hard floor, no nothing to keep the young girl warm throughout the night…even if her clothes were still wet. Even now, they stuck to her skin from the dampness in the air.

Sitting up, the girl easily recalled her situation as the painful memories of the previous night still played freshly in her mind. She tried to stand, but found herself too weak to do so, as her knees bucked underneath her from lack of strength, having her collapse back onto the floor. All night, after she had finally gotten to sleep, nightmares plagued her as they would with one in her position. And all of them featured Cane.

Midii shuddered, both from the chill and the thought of his name. To think, at one time she had had a childish crush on the older man, five years her senior. He had always seemed so nice, so pleasant to her (not to mention, she admitted, he was _awfully_ cute); almost a replacement for the loving brother she had lost. But now she knew the truth; knew exactly who "Cane" was. 

And to be frank…it scared her half to death.

As if on cue, the cell doors opened to reveal the man in question. Midii shrunk back a little when she recognized him, and a little more when she realized he was alone. Though she couldn't identify the item in his left hand, the one in his right was unmistakable: a knife. Wordlessly, the man walked straight up to the younger girl and around behind her back. 

She squinted her eyes in fear, believing he was about to kill her, and tried to scream…but her throat was so dry that nothing more than a squeak came out. Then, all of a sudden, the girl found her hands to be free of the rope that bound them.

Her first reaction was to pull them in front of her to rub the wrists, as they were already red from rope-burn. As the burning sensation went down, Midii next turned her attention to the man standing right before her…a glass of water in hand.

"Here, drink this." Cane spoke up, reaching down to hand her the glass. Nervously, the girl extended a shivering hand out to take it, but pulled back in hesitation. Cane stifled a small laugh at her actions.

"No, it's not poisoned, drugged, or tampered with in any way…though I commend you on your instincts. A little slow, but that's to be expected, given your condition. Just take the water and have a drink; you're pretty dehydrated." His voice and words were much kinder than they were the night before. 

Without another word, Midii accepted the glass and began to sip the cool liquid slowly. She quietly sighed in relief as the water flowed down her throat, moisturizing her dry vocal chords and slowly re-hydrating herself. As she did, she kept one eye on Cane at all times. The man couldn't help but laugh again.

"I don't blame you for not trusting me, but you must understand Midii; I have a rep to keep in this place, and how do you think Abel," he referred to his red-headed accomplice of the previous night, "would've taken it to see me acting so kindly towards a prisoner?" he tried with reasoning her, but still Midii did not trust him. 

The young blonde was obviously too weak at this point to even attempt to stand, so Cane chose to kneel directly in front of her instead. Looking straight into her eyes, he noticed her shivering (as well as her still-damp clothing), and placed his hands on her arms, rubbing them slightly to warm her from the friction.

"You're freezing, girl." He motioned towards her shivering, which only increased as he touched her, but slowly subsided as time went on. But still, even in the silence, Midii found she could not speak…or would not. So Cane chose to keep the conversation going for the two of them, trying to get the girl to loosen up.

"You know, I see you now, and it amazes me how much you've grown, Midii." This got the girl's attention as she turned to face Cane, not sure what he was getting as just yet. Her half-empty glass still in her hands, she clutched onto it instinctively, still a little nervous. 

"I remember when I first started training you. It was eight years ago, you were about nine or ten, I was fifteen at the time." He looked at her, a smirk on his face, as she looked at him, a confused look on her. "You sure have changed…for the better, might I add. What are you now, eighteen?"

"Seventeen." She whispered, her voice still shot and hesitant at who she was speaking to, "I'll be eighteen next month." She could have sworn she heard him mutter something under his breath like, "close enough," but chose to ignore it for the time.

"Do you regret giving it up, Midii?" Cane suddenly asked, drawing a questioning look from the girl. "I mean the spy life. All the adventures we had, the life, the privileges…the fun."

"…why do you ask?" her voice was a bit raspy, but the man easily heard her question. 

He stroked her arms slowly, letting the jacket to slide off her shoulders, allowing him to rub her skin gently. Her shivering had nearly ceased, indicating she was warming up. Little did Cane know she shook now only from his touch; she still didn't trust him completely, and felt very hesitant about the situation, even with her mind aching from the previous night blocking most of her reasoning. The next words he spoke filled Midii's mind with alarm.

"I could give it back to you, my dear." His words were a bit deeper now, his voice rising slightly in volume, his tone hardening. "It's like I said before; you play your cards right, and you could be right alone beside me, living the good life…and I guarantee you, it's a _very_ good life." He leaned closer, speaking the last part of his sentence directly in her ear as he slowly stroked her shoulders, thumbing the straps of her shirt.

Midii tensed up in fear once she figured out his motive, and drew back sharply. The minute she struggled out of his grip, her fear turned to anger as she threw what was left of her drink directly in his face.

"What was that for?" he nearly shouted, wiping his face in frustration. He stood up, towering over the girl, but still she glared up at him with a cold hatred look in her eyes. He glared back, though not as hard seeing he was trying to get her on his side. "Come on, girl… it's not like you've got a boyfriend, or anything."

"As a matter of fact, I do." She spat out, reaching for her necklace…only to find it wasn't there. Drawing her attention away from Cane for a moment, she looked down in shock, only to find her most precious possession gone. The man noticed her bewildered expression, and chuckled a little.

"Looking for that cross of yours? It fell off while we brought you here. That's what happens when you struggle." He next turned his attention back to the previous topic of conversation, "Now what's this about having a boyfriend? I know you're lying, Midii…we're been watching you for weeks, and never seen any boyfriend."

Midii clenched her teeth in anger and looked up at the man, tears blurring her vision. She refused to answer him…didn't have an answer, really. "That's what I thought; a lie."

Once again, he bent down in front of the girl, taking her chin in his hands so they'd meet eye-to-eye, "What's wrong, Midii? When you were younger, you would have loved the attention I'm giving you now. Admit it; you know you want me…" He was greeted with a hard slap in the face, and responded by throwing her roughly to the ground. Midii, leaning shakily on her arms, looked up at him and spoke in a cold, venomous tone, just barely above a raspy whisper because of her voice.

"Not if you were the last man on earth." Growing furious, Cane raised his hand to slap her, but paused when another idea came to him. Smirking evily, the man lowered his arm and looked directly at the younger girl at his feet.

"Very well, Midii…. You've just signed your own death warrant." Without another word, he stormed out of the room, shutting the door tight behind him and locking it.

Midii just stared at the closed door for a moment in shock before breaking down into tears. She was tired, sore from her injuries, afraid…and still, thought of her green-eyed love, a closed fist over her chest, where her missing necklace once hung.

_Nanashi,_ she thought, _I need you. I'm scared, Nanashi_, and she recalled what his name was now, softly calling it out as she slipped into unconsciousness from lack of energy.

"Trowa…"

Outside the room, Cane angrily leaned his back against the door, one hand to his reddened cheek. He heard the girl's plea through the peep-window on the door. 

_So, Trowa's his name, eh_, he thought,_ I'll have to remember that…_

"Ooh…you got shot- _down_, Cane." A voice came from his right. Looking up, the man came face-to-face with his partner, Abel, a smirk on his face from his comrade's apparent failure.

"It's her loss, the bitch…" he replied, before standing up right and turning to his left. He proceeded to walk down the long hallway to the end, where a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" was located. Just as he was about to turn the knob, Abel ran up behind him.

"Don't you need orders from the Federation to do that?" he asked, apparently nervous as his friend's hasty actions as well as sudden cold attitude (he normally only gave it to his victims).

"I was given the order this morning, but figured I'd give her one last chance. Guess she didn't want it." He replied, before stepping into the room. Sighing in relief, Abel followed him comrade into the control room for each cell's air supply, shutting the door behind him.

.

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	2. Part II & Epilogue

.

~~Part 2~~

.

A phone call had been made to Preventers Headquarters earlier that morning. It was Duo who had taken the message, yet was unable to confirm neither the call's origin nor the person he had been speaking to. The message itself, however, had gotten everyone's attention in full.

According to this 'anonymous tipper', the missing persons had but 12 hours left to live, if no one would be able to rescue them. He (Duo had been able to confirm that much, at least) claimed that their air supply was being cut off from their cells, thus ridding the Federation of the "traitors" once and for all. Not getting a word in edgewise, Duo merely listened to the eight-second-long information before the caller immediately hung up. 

Had the occasion been otherwise, the American Gundam pilot might have ignored it, passed it off as a mere prank call. But this was no time to overlook anything.

And that brought the Preventers' unit to their current predicament. Duo and Wufei were in the process of searching the computer database for profiles of those reported missing, what connections exactly he/she had with the Federation, and so-forth. Sally was searching for all possible locations of the Federation's hideaway, while Quatre was currently on the phone once more, this time with a valuable informant. If the information given to them was valid, then each and every person knew they didn't have much time to figure this out.

"Okay, thanks a lot. I'll call you if we need anything else. Bye." As he hung up the phone, Quatre proceeded to run off the list of information he'd just received, "We've confirmed the Federation base to be located somewhere within a thousand-mild radius, on Earth along the coast of Western Eurasia…apparently underground. Does that help, Sally?" A nod and new round of furious typing answered the blonde's question.

"Big-time."

"Just out of curiosity, who exactly were you on the phone with just now?" Wufei wanted to know, not taking his eyes off the screen as he spoke. The answer shocked even him.

"Dorothy." At the sound of the name, everyone simultaneously turned to look at Quatre in surprise, pausing his or her work in the process. The young Preventer shifted nervously in his seat as everyone stared at him. "…what?"

"Dorothy…as in Miss love-of-war Dorothy? Miss almost-helped-Milliardo-destroy-the-Earth Dorothy? Miss attacked-us-with-the-mobile-dolls Dorothy? Miss stabbed-you-in-the-abdomen-putting-you-in-the-hospital Dorothy? Miss--" 

"Yes, her." Quatre interrupted Duo mid-question. Though somewhat irritated with the braided boy's line of questioning, Wufei had to agree with him.

"Are you sure we can trust her? For all we know, she could be part of the Federation herself, just trying to throw us off track."

"No, I think we can trust her. She really wants to help, and she's already given us a good lead." The blonde youth backed his choice. He looked eye-to-eye with each person in the room, ignoring the smirk Duo was now giving him (for _whatever_ reason the baka had going through his head at the moment).

"Whatever you say, Q-man," he shrugged, still grinning, before turning back to his work. A few moments later, he turned around once more to face Quatre. "We're got confirmed ID's on all personnel reported missing, 'cept for that girl Midii. I think we'll need Trowa's help on that one."

"Thanks Duo." Quatre began, "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, he walked out of here about ten minutes ago. Don't know where he went, though." Sally replied, eyes still on her work. This got the attention of the three ex-Gundam pilots.

"And you _let_ him walk out of here?" Wufei questioned his partner, glaring in the process. Being somewhat used to him (and his tone), Sally unnervingly glared right back in response.

"Well, yeah…what was I supposed to do, block the doorway? What's the big idea, anyways? I mean, the last time you guys were this uptight, Heero disappeared off of Peace Million…to go after…" Pausing mid-sentence, she thought for a moment before turning to Quatre with a questioning look. Knowing exactly what she suspected, the blonde nodded his head, confirming everyone's suspicion.

Sighing in frustration, Duo slumped back in his chair, "It's Déjà vu all over again. Just goes to show you, never trust the quiet ones…"

It wasn't hard for him to figure out exactly where the Federation's base was; Midii had told him the location of all five underground headquarters long ago—the only thing left to do was to confirm the continent they were on, which had been a snap. Of course, he couldn't let anyone else know; this was something the boy had to do on his own. He had promised Midii long ago that he would always protect her, and was willing to keep that promise no matter what the cost.

Trowa quietly walked down the long corridor. There was no need to look back, as no one knew where he was headed. His footsteps echoed through the silence as he mentally counted each passing door: 29…31…35… and, finally, 37—the transportation room. A few quick jabs at the combination lock pad and he was in.

But he wasn't alone.

"You didn't think you could fool me, Barton, did you?" His emotionless voice maintained its usual monotone as he leaned against the P.H.'s jeep, arms crossed and head down.

Trowa, too, stood resolute at the situation, keeping his own expression quite neutral. "I'm going," was all he replied, "and don't think I'll even let you stop me."

The figure stood up strait, unfolding his arms, and turned to meet with the determined boy eye-to-eye. Trowa stood ready and waiting for whatever would come next. Needless to say, he didn't quite expect for his comrade to reach into his left pocket, pulling out the keys to the vehicle. Clasping them tightly in his hand, the figure tossed the keys to Trowa, who unwaveringly caught them one-handed. "I won't," he answered, then turned to leave.

"Wait." Trowa stared at the jingling objects in his hand a moment before calling out in curiosity. "Why are you letting me go? Why not stop me?"

The figure paused for a brief moment, keeping his back to Trowa the entire time, before giving his answer: "Let's just say…I understand." Without another word, he left the room.

Watching him leave, Trowa couldn't help but give his comrade a slight smile in gratitude. 

"Thanks, Heero."

.

Cane was in better a mood than Abel had seen him in for a long time. Leaning back in his chair, he smugly crossed his legs over the console, putting his hands behind his head in relaxation. The multiple monitors showed the locations of nearly ever corner of the base…including the prisoner cells. Abel noticed, however, that Cane's eyes remained glued to one screen in particular.

"Still hooked on the girl, eh?" He asked his comrade, casually leaning against the wall. Cane gave no answer other than a sniff grunt. Abel wasn't sure if the man was enjoying himself, or whether or not he was regretting his latest decision. His expression was unreadable at times.

The air was rapidly thinning out in each cell. Many of the shocked prisoners, those who quickly realized what was happening, were calling out in both anger and fear. Some, like Midii, were too weak to do anything more than to subject themselves to whatever fate bestowed upon them. Some apparently didn't even care anymore (most likely, these were some of the first to be taken prisoner.)

Midii was, without a doubt, in the worst condition of anyone. Bruises covered her exposed skin, trickles of blood stained her clothing from minor cuts, and she had gone back to shivering uncontrollably…even though the temperature was near close to 70 degrees. She sat up against the wall of her prison, half-conscious, and unnaturally pale. Each breath she took in seemed more and more difficult to manage. 

Watching the sight made Abel want to wretch, but there was nothing he could do; Cane was the one in charge, and the only one who knew the codes for air-lock control.

A flicker of motion on one of the outdoor monitors caught the dark-haired man's attention in an instant. It was obvious that someone was attempting to enter the Base. Moving so fast he nearly tipped over the chair, Cane was up and about, directing the console to replay that tape.

There. A young boy, around 18, was entering the building. Caught in shock for a moment, the man quickly jumped to the first conclusion that came to mind. Without another world to Abel other than, "Watch the monitors," the man was up and about, swiftly exiting the room.

It was dark as Trowa walked the long hallways through the Federation Base. He had just taken out two of the guards with little effort…but that's what worried him. This was almost too easy. It's as if someone knew he were there, wanted him there. 

Muffled cries suddenly rang out through his ears, coming from on of the rooms. Placing an ear against the door closest to him, Trowa managed to place the sound to that room. There was no lock, so he walked right in. The door quickly shut behind him upon entering. 

Looking around curiously for a moment, he found it to be one of the minor control rooms. Monitors showed the inside of every single prisoner cell, while audio speakers played out the cries for help. Trowa was surprised to see just how many had been captured; there were nearly three-dozen monitors along the wall. Walking closer, nearly mesmerized for the sight before him, Trowa quickly scanned the screens for what he came for.

He found it in one of the middle screens, just barely above eye-level and to the right. The boy recognized her almost at once, but gasped wide-eyed at the condition she was in. Her head was bowed down, her breathing coming in gasps, and either her audio speaker wasn't working, or she remained almost completely silent, in contrast to the others' pleas. 

Unconsciously touching the screen with his right hand, he whispered out her name: "Midii…" She looked up for a brief moment, almost as if she had heard him, but it was quite obvious she hadn't.

"So, I guess I was right." A deep male voice came from behind him. Abruptly turning around, Trowa came eye-to-eye with someone he had never seen before. 

To be honest, he had nearly assumed it was Heero behind him, but a closer look told him that this person was definitely not Heero. This man must have been at least a good five years older, and much more menacing. He stood looming over the boy with dark, semi-unruly hair and dark, cold eyes…even darker than Heero's, and even colder than darker.

The man in front of him gave an amused smile as he stood in the doorway, his shadow casting out over the room from the light in the hallway. "You must be Trowa, then?" he asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Who wants to know?" His voice came out much more casually than he felt at that time, as seeing Midii had aroused an anger the boy hadn't experienced for so long.

"Well, now…seeing as she's told me all about you, I'd figure she may have told you about me. Guess not." Standing up, Cane swiftly walked into the room, and straight up to the monitor. "You can call me Cane. I was Midii's…shall we say…object of interest year ago." Turning his head towards Trowa, he gave a taunting smirk, daring him to say something.

The blood boiled in Trowa's veins to hear this person talk of his Midii that way, but years of training told him to remain as quiet and calm as possible, so as not to loose control.

"Prove it." He stated, attempting to call the man's bluff. Unknown to him at the time, Cane came prepared for this, replying without missing a beat.

"You're Trowa; her current boyfriend. Although you haven't seen her for quite some time, I'm sure. Who knows…maybe you're not even together anymore…. Anyways, you met that day she was sent to betray your missionary cluster…her first, and last, mission. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you gave her a gold cross necklace some time ago. I'd think it'd be crucial to mention that it's no longer in her possession, however." To be honest, Cane knew little more of the boy than Trowa assumed he did, and most of his replies were guesswork. Yet, if he played his cards right…

"Not bad. Seems you've done your research." Trowa responded, sounding a tad amused. This only angered Cane, but he, too, realized that remaining calm was the only way to win this game, "although, if you really knew all that much about her, then you would have realized the only reason why she doesn't have her necklace is because if fell off when you captured her."

The two stood eye-to-eye. The game was set…the objective, clear. Now, it was all a matter of who would crack first.

.

Just as Cane had ordered, Abel was sitting back in his chair, watching the console in front of him. Most of the prisoners had ceased their screaming and pleading, making his job a tad easier on the conscience. His eyes occasionally focused on the bottom left-hand screen; it showed the minor control room. There, Cane was at a standoff with a young boy whom Abel didn't recognize, but assumed his comrade did. 

The uniform indicated that this boy was a Preventer, obviously here on some sort of rescue mission. And yet…not only did he come alone, but Cane was just _talking_ with him. At least, that's how it appeared, as there was no audio for that particular room.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Abel pondered the situation, silently counting off the seconds as they ticked away on his watch. 

_*BEEP-BEEP*BEEP-BEEP*_

Within half a minute of the man's meditating, his cell phone rang. Keeping his eyes closed, he swiftly picked it up from its usual case on his belt and answered. 

"Abel here. Speak."

"They've figured it out." A voice spoke from the other line. "I've got a new assignment for you."

Sitting up straight in his seat, Abel listened intently for a good moment before confirming his orders, hanging up, and turning to the console. This latest mission would require precise timing and intense concentration. He just hoped he could pull it off.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any inside the Base, members of the Preventers' Special Rescue Unit were gathering outside.

"Troops in position?"

"Rodger that."

"All right, men, stand down for now, but be ready; when I give the signal, we move in." Commander Une was at the front line of the rescue mission. A small army, at the most a dozen soldiers, was waiting just outside the Federation Headquarters facility, waiting for their chance to enter. The four ex-Gundam pilots, as well as Sally Poe, had gone ahead in to locate the missing personnel and report when backup was needed. 

_*If* it's needed_, Une reminded herself, thinking of just exactly who was in there, _but you can never be too careful, especially in a job like this…_

.

It hadn't occurred to either of the two just how silent the room had suddenly become until the monitors went out. A frown appeared on the dark-haired man's face as he muttered something under his breath. Trowa could just barely make out the words, "…have a talk with that moron later…" before Cane once more turned his attention to their previous situation.

"Where is she?" Trowa finally spoke up, anger clearly showing in his voice. This time, Cane didn't smirk as he folded his arms.

"You must think me a fool to tell you. Think I went through all that trouble just so you can play hero? Guess again, Romeo." Somehow, he had managed to make his way in front of the only entrance, also the only exit. The light shining from the hallway left his face in the shadows of the room, now almost completely dark, enhancing his villainous features.

That did it; Trowa responded with faster-than-lightning speed, drawing his gun from its holster. But before he could bring it upright, Cane already had a gun of his own, aimed directly at the boy's heart.

"Oops! Too slow." Cane replied, speaking as casually as if it were merely a game to him. Once again, his menacing grin was plastered on his face as Trowa slowly pulled back his gun in defeat. "So much for saving your little damsel in distress. I'd tell her you're sorry for failing her, but in a short amount of time, you'll be able to tell her yourself, anyways. 

"It's really a shame," he continued, aiming his gun for the kill, "she was such a looker, and coulda been mine—coulda lived—but choose to remain loyal to you. Now, if only she had been loyal to _us_!" Snarling with anger over the memories of his rejection, Cane pulled the trigger.

*BANG!*

A shot was fired. A body fell.

****************************

Quatre looked on as many of the doors easily came open. The first two-dozen rescues were simple enough; each person had been conscious enough to walk on his/her own feet, merely needing escorts to show them the way out. The next six were also conscious, but had to be carried out, requiring minor medical attention. 

For some strange reason, there had been few guards around the area; they had expected much more security from such a large organization. Those that had been guarding the area had quickly been taken out by subtle attacks from Duo and Heero, which made the blonde ex-Gundam pilots a little uneasy. 

"How many more left?" Duo questioned, bring the boy out of his trance. Mentally counting those they had already rescued, he was quite surprised to find out how well they were progressing. Apparently, only a few remained.

It was Quatre who blew open the final cell. The other prisoners had all been taken outside, where they met with the backup troops for support. Only the Gundam Pilots were left for the final rescue.

Quatre knew, even before he opened the door, who would be inside, "Midii?" he called out quietly, getting no response. Puzzled, he opened the door a little further. The room was very dark, even more so than the other cells, and he had to adjust his eyes for a moment before he was able to see. At first, it seemed to the boy like the room was empty.

"Midii?" he called out again, a little louder this time. 

Once again, no one responded. 

The blonde was just about to turn around, when his eyes caught focus of something leaning against one wall, hidden in the shadows. He immediately rushed over. His heart went out to the girl as he saw the condition she was in. Fearing for a moment he might have been too late, Quatre checked her pulse, only to thankfully find it there, if rather weak. Brushing a few of her blonde strands out of her face, the boy gently tried to awaken her.

"Midii….Midii, can you hear me?" he questioned softly, giving her wounds a once-over to see how bad they were. After a moment, and to Quatre's great relief, she stirred slightly.

"Mmm…T-Trowa?" She whispered, not even possessing enough energy to open her eyes. Her voice quivered with fear and uncertainty.

"No. A friend." Quatre answered back, really wishing that Trowa was there at the moment. "I'm going to get you out of here." Either she had fallen back unconscious, or had no energy left, because Midii gave no reply. Gently lifting the frail girl up, Quatre proceeded to carry her out.

"Hurry, guys! She's in bad shape!" he called out to his comrades the second he exited the cell. 

Wasting no time, he quickly turned the girl over to Heero, who told him he'd bring her to where the medical aid was. Then, along with Duo and Wufei, Quatre ran off in search of Trowa. 

No one had seen him throughout the duration of the rescue.

.

Normally, the boy was never surprised by anything. His training as a soldier had long ago taught him to be as aware of his surroundings as possible. And yet, he couldn't help but be taken aback from the scene that played before him.

The man that Valerie had described to them (the one with the red hair and freckles) was standing before him now, gun in hand, over the body of his supposed partner. Without a sound, he placed the weapon back in its holster before turning to Trowa.

"Who are you?" Trowa finally broke the silence between the two, also putting his own gun away. Walking over, the man stuck out his hand to shake with Trowa's.

"Name's Abel. I guess you can say I'm a rather close, personal friend of someone you know. I also happen to work for a smaller, secluded branch of your 'Preventers.' In order to discover what the Federation was up to, I had work undercover—from the inside—and figure out a way to stop them. I'll tell you one thing; it's definitely not easy playing the villain!" Placing one hand behind his head, he laughed, "Don't blame me, though; it was her idea in the first place."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Her?" Leaning down, Abel whispered something into Trowa's ear. The boy's eyes widened in surprise…no…shock.

"I would never have guessed." 

A fit of coughing coming from the ground interrupted Trowa's most _interesting_ conversation.

"Traitor…" Cane managed to hoarsely spit out. "I'll deal with all you traitors…just as I…planed..."

"You mean _you_'re the leader of this operation?" Trowa asked, already knowing the answer. Why else would such a minimal amount of security be around? This wasn't the work of the Federation after all, but merely one of its last few members still out for revenge. It was personal.

Cane, clutching his wound, smirked one last time. "That's right…Romeo…It's all me…." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small hand-held remote. "I…will win this…I'll punish those…who betrayed…our, no, MY Federation…even if I…must destroy the base…as well…." Pushing the button, he finally collapsed, dead.

The alarms ran out through the building as a computerized voice announced, "30 seconds till self destruct…29…28…"

"We've got to get out of here!" Abel shouted, ducking his head as the ground shook, breaking some of the ceiling loose.

"But…" Trowa began. He still hadn't forgotten about Midii and the others.

"Don't worry; right after I turned the monitors off in this room, your pals managed to get them to safety …now come ON!"

Running faster than ever before, the two managed to make it within range of the exit as the computer continued its countdown.

_Seven…six…_

"Trowa!" He heard a voice call to him; it was Quatre, Duo and Wufei right behind him. 

_Five…four…three…_

"GET DOWN!" someone shouted as they ran out into the open.

_Two…one…_

The ground shook with a fury as the underground base exploded in a magnificent display of fireworks. The five watched from just over the hill as the last remaining evidence of the Federation Base, and Cane, was finally destroyed.

.

The room was just barely silent; save for the sound of the heart monitor's steady beating. Quatre, standing just outside the room, looked in through the window from the hallway. All around him, half a dozen nurses and doctors were working to tend to those rescued from the blast. 

Yet, the boy was oblivious to the buzz going on around him as he silently watched the display going on right in front of his eyes. He almost didn't even hear Sally walk right up next to him.

"Why do you think he never told us about her?" she asked, motioning towards the two inside.

Quatre shrugged, "I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't even know if he even remembered Midii because of the amnesia. He said her name often, but couldn't seem to place anything else along with it before now…" tearing his eyes away from the couple, he turned towards the female doctor, "Is she going to be okay?"

Sally gave a quick glance to her notes before answering half-heartedly, "It's really hard to say. The bump on her head gave her a slight concussion; she was pretty dehydrated from lack of fluids during that time; worst of all, she was suffering from a mild case of pneumonia; other than a fever, she's recovered from it so far, but there's no telling how bad it affected her. We won't know until she wakes up." She looked up from her papers, towards Quatre, then focused her sight towards back in the room, "For Trowa's sake, I hope she'll be. He hasn't left her side once since we allowed him in."

Trowa easily heard him walk into the room, but didn't bother to turn around. He already knew who it was.

"You'd really like her, Quatre." He spoke up, speaking to the boy behind him while keeping his eyes on Midii. "I'm sure of it. You know, in so many ways, she's very much like you." Trowa held her hand in both his own; nervous at how cold it felt to him. His voice quavered only in the slightest, but still Quatre noticed. Even more so, he noticed the tears threatening to spill from his friend's eyes along with the one that finally did. Taking a seat across from him, Quatre couldn't help but smile at his comrade despite the current situation.

"You love her." He stated quietly in realization, his voice barely above a whisper.

Trowa turned to the male blonde, "…more than I ever though I would." He replied quietly, before turning his attention back to the girl in question.

"You know she called for you." Quatre continued on, "when I tried waking her in the cell, your name was the first word she spoke." 

Trowa didn't respond to this, and for a moment, Quatre wasn't even sure the boy had heard him. Before he could speak up again, however, he finally got a response…but not from Trowa. The girl stirred softly in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open. Squinting from the bright light, she looked around for a minute, trying to figure out where she was. 

"Midii?" a voice called from her left. She turned her head, and met her eyes with emerald pools. She gave a weary smile, before closing her eyes again.

"I'm dreaming again, I just know it." She finally spoke, then opened her eyes once more, "I have to be."

Trowa shook his head, smiling one of his rare smiles, and told her she wasn't. Midii tried to get up, against both boys' protests, and finally managed to get herself to a sitting position. Trowa then introduced her to Quatre, who gave a reassuring smile in reply. After thanking him whole-heartedly for saving her, another question was brought to Midii's attention.

"What ever happened to…my captors?" she asked, being careful not to identify one in particular by name.

"Who…Cane?" Trowa questioned in response, knowing exactly that was whom she was thinking of at the moment. Midii's eyes went wide at the name.

"You…met him…." Receiving a nod in response, she went off into a fit of hysterics, "Honest, Nanashi…I didn't know…I swear…he lied, I'm sure…he was just-" But before the girl could give herself a heart attack, Trowa put a finger to her lips to silence her.

"Don't worry; I know." Smiling through her fresh tears, Midii visible relaxed before putting a hand to her head.

"Ugh…my head hurts," she complained, drawing a small laugh from her two visitors.

"That's what a concussion will do to you," Quatre replied, doing his best to lighten the mood, "a good month or so of rest, and you should be better. The doctor said once you wake up, you'd be fine."

"A _month_?" She wearily questioned, over-dramatizing the situation a bit, "What am I going to do locked up here for a _month_?"

Trowa chuckled. _Same old Midii_. "How about get well? Does that ring a bell to you at all?" 

All the meanwhile, Quatre was slowly backing away from the couple. Watching as they quietly laughed and smiled together, he couldn't help but feel happy for his friend. Just as he turned to leave, the boy nearly ran into a woman standing right in the doorway.

"Oh, hi, Va—" he began before she put a finger to her lips, silencing him. Getting the picture, Quatre whispered a goodbye, and left the room.

Valerie, on the other hand, stood in the doorway of the hospital room, oblivious to its two occupants, and she watched the scene before her. Her heart all but melted as she watched the love in their eyes and the laughter in their hearts as they reunited; her smile only grew wider as she saw "Nanashi" bend down to give the girl a small kiss on her forehead as she slowly dozed off, before whispering goodnight. 

It wasn't until Trowa got up and turned to leave for the night that he noticed they were being watched.

"Valerie…" he began, but didn't know what else to say. The middle-aged woman gave him a proud smile.

"I always knew…you two were meant for one another." She whispered, so as not the wake the sleeping girl. "Ever since you were younger, I could see it in your eyes."

Trowa looked upon the woman whom he had known as a mother for so long. He was quite surprised when she reached out, giving his a quick hug, but nevertheless returned it.

"Take care of her, Trowa. Protect her" She whispered in his ear. 

He replied, as they pulled apart, looking back over at the one he had come to love over the years, "With my life." And of course, as he normally would for no one else, he said it with a smile.

.

~~Epilogue~~

.

The brilliant ballroom was slightly less than overcrowded with the familiarity of warm and friendly faces; no doubt Relena had gone out of her way this time. Pale lavender curtains draped over the large windows on either side of the room, contrasting perfectly with the beige-colored walls, and the marble flooring. A number of chandeliers hung from the ceiling, filling the room with a sparkling light: a truly magical sight to behold.

And amidst this array of magic, a young blonde-haired couple, neither of them past the age of 19, stood out from the rest of the crowd as they danced away. Unlike usual, the girl had a quite tranquil look upon her face as she stared into the eyes of her fiancé. Yes, _fianc_; on occasion, the lighting in the room would reflect upon her right hand, revealing a shimmering diamond ring.

One man in particular noticed this exact detail. It wouldn't be very hard to spot who it was—just look for the guy wearing a long braid in his hair, wide eyes, and a jaw dropping so hard you wouldn't be a bit surprised if it hit China.

"I don't believe it. I just don't believe it," he muttered to himself, "Dorothy Catalonia. _THE_ Dorothy Catalonia…engaged? To *him*?"

"To who?" A voice spoke up from behind. Duo temporarily turned to face the speaker, then back to the dance floor.

"To…to…" he began, before his comrade finished his sentence for him.

"Abel?"

Duo turned once more, the surprised look only magnifying, "Wait a sec; you _knew_ about this, Quatre?" The young blonde-haired man shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Yeah; Dorothy told me about it a few weeks ago over the phone. It was a family-planned thing. You know, engaged since birth." Turning to face the couple, he smiled, "Luckily for them, they get along so well. To be honest, if you ask me, I think she really loves him."

"Wait a sec," Duo stood looking more confused than ever now, "I thought…you…and …"

"Who, me and Dorothy?" Quatre looked at him strangely, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"B-b-but…" Duo began before hanging his head, sighing, "Oh, I give up!  I must be loosing my touch…"

Interrupting this semi-melodramatic scene, Quatre spoke up, pointing out another couple on the floor, "Hey, check it out, Duo. Wufei's actually out on the dance floor!" Picking his head up, Duo saw…to say the least, something he would NOT have expected.

It looked like Wufei. It sounded like Wufei. But it sure as hell didn't _act_ like Wufei. 

The former Chinese Gundam Pilot was waltzing with a young girl around his age, laughing as they carried on a conversation. Even stranger, the girl looked an _awful_ lot like Wufei himself, though her hair was in pigtails rather than a tight ponytail.

"Okay, this proves it:" Duo moaned, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat, "I'm not only loosing my touch, I'm loosing my mind right along with it!"

Outside the mansion, the quiet murmur of music just barely reached the ears of Trowa and Midii, who were desperately seeking some time to themselves after the previous month's fiasco. It was Relena who had suggested the garden; not only had the gardener just recently planted fresh begonias, but it would be all-but-deserted with the party going on inside.

"Relena sure knows how to host a party, huh?" Midii spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence as she bent down to examine a bed of white and pink roses. Beyond those, she could spot numerous more rose beds; one of each color. 

Except for Black, of course. 

When she didn't get a response, the young, newly-18-year-old (for that night also happened to be Midii's birthday) stood and turned to face the one she was speaking too. Dressed in a traditional black tux outfit, minus the tie, Trowa was more of a Prince Charming tonight than ever before. Of course, Midii, too, looked like royalty in her pale-pink formal dress; it was off-the-shoulder, came down to her ankles, and had ¾ length sleeves. Other than the light "puff" collar, it had no other designs to it (Midii was never one for formal wear).

The first thing she noticed was that Trowa's attention wasn't on her. The brown-haired boy was quietly starring up on the balcony, as if he saw something. After a moment, he gave up and turned his attention back to a now very curious blonde.

"Did you see something?" she asked, receiving a shake of the head in response.

"I though I might have. Just forget about it. I want to show you something." Just as Trowa suspected, this easily drew Midii's attention as her never-ending curiosity found a new target. Telling her to close her eyes (and receiving a pout in response), Trowa slowly led her down one of the more secluded pathways. They walked for about two or three minutes before he told her to stop and look up.

Midii did what she was told, catching her breath in her throat at the sight. From where she was standing, the youthful blonde could see the vast sea of stars above her through the scattered clouds in the sky, each one twinkling merrily from where it shone. Trowa pointed out one twinkle in particular to her.

"See that one, right there? Know what it is?"

Midii, her eyes filled with recognition and remembrance, managed to whisper, "It's…L3. Where we used to live." Her eyes rimmed with tears at her next sentence, "…where we were…separated." Trowa, as if he didn't hear that last sentence, responded by now telling her to look down. This, she obeyed also, gasping at the sight.

Somehow, the remnants of the garden took on almost the exact same appearance as the park where the couple had spent their last night together. Everything from the wide-open space, to the flowers located in the nearby bushes, to the delicately-carved wooden bench off to the side. Her eyes scanning her surroundings in wonder, Trowa carefully led her over to the bench and motioned for her to sit down.

"Everything's the same." She spoke up finally, a smile on her face, "Well…almost." She added, "You're not going anywhere this time. Not if I can help it."

This forced Trowa to grin and even chuckle a little. Then, for the first time, Midii finally noticed he seemed to be hiding something behind him. Curiosity kicking in for a record-breaking third time in one night, she tried sneaking a peak, but to no avail. "Okay, I surrender! What're you hiding, Trowa?"

Giving in, the boy held out his hand to reveal a small velvet box. In fact, it was very similar to the one he gave her with the cross inside. "I noticed you lost your cross some time ago, so I got something to replace it." Midii reached for the invisible chain she often forgot was no longer there, then changed her mind and carefully took the box from him.

"You got me a new one?" She questioned. Trowa shook his head, confusing the girl…until she saw what was inside.

The light from the stars was quite dim, and the moon was no more than a sliver of a crescent hidden by a few dark clouds, but it was enough for her to be sure she wasn't hallucinating. A faint glimmer was, indeed, coming from inside the box…from the single, solitary diamond ring in the box.

As if that wasn't a big enough shock, the blonde-haired girl looked up, only to see Trowa down on one knee. He didn't say anything at all, but the look in his eyes was unmistakable. Midii had to close hers for a moment. She had no idea whether to laugh or cry for joy.

In the end, she did a combination of the two. Nodding her head in response (having lost her voice somewhere along the line), the two stood up and embraced one another tightly. 

"Happy Birthday." He whispered in her ear. It was one of the happiness moments in their entire lives. And you know what? The first droplets of rain were beginning to fall to the ground….

Miraculously, the pair managed to make it back to the mansion without getting very wet; their clothes were just barely damp. No sooner had they stepped into the ballroom, when they were greeted with two familiar faces.

Midii smiled as she greeted them, "Dorothy!" she exclaimed, having become familiar with the slightly older girl in the past month, then turned to the man standing next to her. "…Abel?" She finally asked after a moment, quite surprised. He grinned back sheepishly at her expression.

"Yeah, it's me. I know, I know; what happened to the red hair, right?" he responded without missing a beat, then jerked a thumb at his fiancé, "That was only a temporary disguise courtesy of Madame Stylist over here." (At this point, Dorothy playfully smacked him in the stomach for the comment) "She figured, working undercover and all, I needed one. But _this_ is the real me." 

Midii gave him a playful wink, "Well, I think the _real_ you suits you better; you look so much younger than with the disguise!" She then had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as Trowa raised an eyebrow at her.

Dorothy, slightly amused at the scene herself, extended a hand towards Midii, "I do hope there's no hard feelings over these recent events, that you'll accept my apology. I honestly never meant for you or anyone else to get hurt, but I guess things didn't quite work out as planned. If you don't mind my asking, perhaps we can get together sometime, get to know one another better?" 

Midii gave a friendly smile, "That would be nice." and the two females shook hands. But before Midii could pull away, Dorothy flipped the younger girl's hand over to get a good look at it, and smiled knowingly as she saw the diamond.

"It seems we have more in common than we thought." She commented, giving her a knowing-smirk and motioning towards her own engagement ring. Midii responded by blushing a light shade of pink.

Away from all the excitement, Relena stood leaning up against the wall, eyes closed shut, hands behind her back, and forming a peaceful smile as her mind wandered. In the background, she heard little more than the excitement buzz of friendly chattering, and the rhythmic music faintly playing. Rarely did the young Vice Foreign Minster get moments like this to herself, and enjoyed them greatly.

"I know you're there." She spoke up suddenly, seemingly talking to herself. In the next moment, however, a figure was at her side, emerging from the shadows behind.

He couldn't help but smile as he replied, "Why is it I can avoid the top security systems of the world, but not you?" Opening her eyes, Relena turned to face him. As they did so often before, the two locked eyes before Relena answered his question.

"I can always find you." She whispered, placing one hand over her heart, "My heart can always find you…no matter where you are." He placed one hand over hers for a moment, and they wound up pulling away with their fingers intertwined.

"I'm sorry I can't be with you more." Relena smiled at this.

"Don't be. It just makes moments like this even more special." With her free hand, she brushed a few strands of his hair out of his eyes, drawing a smile from him at her touch. "I love you, you know that."

He never responded to her last sentence, but she knew he heard it. The look in his eyes told her so. "We should probably go join the others." He said after a minute. Agreeing, Relena broke eye contact, and the two started to head over towards where their comrades were gathering.

"…his _WIFE_?" they heard a voice call out suddenly. The next instant, there was a thud as that same person passed out (most likely in shock).

Stopping dead in their tracks, there was a moment of silence, before Relena burst into giggles. "Something tells me Duo just met Meiran." She explained to Heero, who was looking at her questioningly.

"Who?"

Still laughing, she led him over to where she _knew_ everyone else was gathered. "You'll see…"

.

~**_OWARI_**~


End file.
